Governor Linda Lingle has released $2.5 million to design a Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory near the Biosciences Research Building at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaʻako. This project is in addition to the $1.8 billion public infrastructure construction plan unveiled by Governor Lingle in December 2008 to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

"Infectious diseases and agents pose a serious threat to the health and security of Hawaiʻi," said Governor Lingle. "Building a state-of-the-art biosafety laboratory will make Hawaiʻi a safer place to live and to visit, enhance the University of Hawaiʻi‘s research focus on infectious diseases, and help drive the life sciences industry in our state."

The Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory, which upon completion will be one of 13 such laboratories in the national network funded by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, will consist of approximately 25,000 square feet, including 8,000 square feet of laboratory space. Primary users will be the medical school‘s Department of Tropical Medicine and Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology. However, the facility will also be available for use by qualified researchers from the state and federal government, including the military and other research institutions.

Total planning and design cost is $10 million, which includes $7.5 million in federal funds from the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Construction is estimated to cost $37.5 million, which includes $12.5 million in state funds and $25 million in federal funds.

Design is scheduled to begin in May 2009 and to be completed in July 2010. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in November 2010 with a target completion date of June 2012.